


Power Source

by WhenWeNextMeetMyFriends



Series: Jay Whump [1]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: AU, Because I am also trans, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, But it's gotta get worse first, Canon Divergence, F/M, Graphic Description, I was like 'what if jay's power couldve been used to power the overlords tech', Jay whump, M/M, Multi, My friend and i rped it, No you cannot change my mind, Psychological Torture, Rebooted is the worst season of ninjago, Torture, Trans!Jay Walker, and here we are, and how it would affect the other seasons, i promise you it gets better, lets just say skybound would be a lot worse, planning a series based around jay recovering from this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:34:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25675159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenWeNextMeetMyFriends/pseuds/WhenWeNextMeetMyFriends
Summary: The escape from the Overlord went worse than any of the ninja could believe. No sensei, no master of lightning, and no idea what to do next. Their only hope is to reboot the Overlord, but with Nya taking Jay's technoblade and spot on the team.Meanwhile, Jay learns what the Overlord has in store for him. He's about to learn the dangerous potential of his elemental ability, getting pushed to his limits at the same time. Can he hold up under the pressure?
Relationships: Cole/Jay Walker, Nya/Jay Walker
Series: Jay Whump [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861705
Comments: 45
Kudos: 79





	1. Prologue - An Escape

Jay had to admit - these technoblades were pretty sweet pieces of tech. He had just hacked a freaking car - some kind of security tank meant to protect the city - and was watching Cole’s back as the other ran for a mech of his own.

“Hey, Cole, need a hand with those security mechs? Or how about just some old-fashioned artillery fire?” Jay called out moments before he shot at the few other robots that surrounded his friend.

Cole laughed a bit into their comms, tossing a mech away like it was nothing. “I think I’ve got a handle on it!” He responded moments before he had hacked into his own mech. He took out the last two mechs with a practiced twirl as Jay pulled up beside him.

“Stompin’ robots to robot stomper’!” Cole quipped, and Jay couldn’t help but laugh a bit. Cole glanced over, his cheeks seeming to darken just a bit at Jay’s laughter. Was he embarrassed?

“ _ We have to get the technoblades out of the city, _ ” Kai ordered. Jay and Cole shared a look outside their mechs before they voiced their agreements.

“ _ But what about Sensei _ ?” Zane sounded like he was still firing at robots. “We can’t leave without him!”

Yeah, Zane was right. They would all feel terrible if something happened to their teacher.

“ _ I see him. There! I’ll pick him up and meet you guys at the intersection of Wilbert and Flemming. _ ” Kai’s voice, once again. Jay and Cole shared one last look before splitting up to find their own routes to the meeting place. 

Jay was the first to arrive, and he worked hard to make sure the intersection stayed clear. He spent some time firing at the city robots, wondering exactly how many robots this city could even have?

“ _ I can’t find a place to land! _ ” Kai shouted, probably not meaning to do that over the comms. Jay winced, hoping that Kai was gonna be able to reach their teacher. However, the majority of the master of lightning’s focus was on the bots filling the intersection.

Next to arrive was Cole, and of course he was a show-off by flipping on the mech, taking out three bots in one strike. The only robot he missed was destroyed by Zane, who flew overhead before landing right behind Jay. 

Finally, Kai appeared, dropping Wu off in the center of their hacked machines. The four ninja worked hard on keeping the opposing force at bay, but… it seemed hopeless.

“There’s too many of them! We’ll never get out!” Cole shouted, working on fighting the robots back as much as possible. Jay agreed wordlessly - this just seemed like too much.

“Keep fighting! They’ll have to run out of batteries at some point.” Kai obviously doesn’t know how technology works, Jay thought to himself.

“Oh, I’m not so sure about that.” Zane seemed nervous as the ninja were pressed closer and closer together.

They were going to lose!

...but a flash of golden light said otherwise. The robots were frozen in place, surrounded by particles of gold moments before a golden phoenix landed on the streets.

“Robots versus ninja?” Lloyd hopped onto the street with a small laugh. “Dare I ask?”

Everyone was leaving their vehicles - Jay included - to drag the golden ninja into a hug. It had been hard to all be together as a group, what with Lloyd being everywhere as the golden ninja while everyone else taught. But this moment couldn’t be any better.

Alas, it was only a moment.

‘ _ So… you couldn’t help yourself. _ ’ The familiar hiss of the Overlord came in from overhead. All the screens in their area showed a weird purple and red aura with these glowing red eyes that could only be the monster they thought they had defeated years before. “ _ The Golden Ninja… we meet again. _ ”

“Overlord,” Lloyd responded, seeming very confident. Confident enough that Jay felt confident as well. They could do this! “I defeated you once, I’ll defeat you again!”

‘ _ Oh, I don’t want to fight. _ ’ His laughter was a wheeze surrounding them, chilling them to the bone. ‘ _ I just want your power. _ ’

Wait, what?

The robots reactivated, their green lights turning to dark red, and flashing dangerously as they began to close in. Lloyd readied his power, but was stopped by Wu.

“No Lloyd, your power is only making them stronger.” The wise teacher held Lloyd back with his staff. Jay had to admit he was right, seeing how the cities robots were closing in faster than before.

“But how do we fight?” Lloyd seemed conflicted, wanting to help but not knowing  _ how _ . Jay felt stumped on that front as well, shrugging just a bit.

“We don’t.” Kai stepped in. “We need to get you and the technoblades out of the city.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think he’ll let us leave.” Cole responded, looking at the robots around them.

“I have an idea. But I don’t have much time to explain, so listen close” Their teacher had them all lean in right as the robots closed in on them. The plan made Jay uneasy, but… it had to happen. It was the only possible way to get them all out in one piece.

With a cry of “Ninja GO!”, the ninja split up to their vehicles once more. Jay started up his tank, and took off into the streets.

“I hope this works,” Kai mumbled, but it was a call as clear as day to the other ninja.

“At 4.2 percent chance of success, I’d say our hope is slim.” Zane, ever the epitome of optimism, chimed in.

“That’s why it’s called hope, Zane.” Jay shot back, hiding a smile. Low odds, but they could do it if nothing went wrong.

Of course it went wrong.

Jay found the streets impossibly clogged with robots. Everywhere he turned there were more and more, cornering him quickly.

“Uh, guys?” Jay called into the comms, taking out more and more of the robots only to have them instantly replaced. “Can I get some backup here?”

“ _ Little busy _ !” Cole’s voice came back as a response. “ _ Trying to clear the path here _ .”

“Yeah I get that, but I’m stuck!” Jay continued trying to wipe out all the bots around, but for every single robot he took out there were 3 more to fill its place. “I can’t get out!”

“ _ Keep trying! We have to protect Sensei. _ ” Kai reminded the group. Jay shook his head, pushing forward and making it another block before he was completely stopped.

“Guys, I’m really not sure I can make it!” Jay called, firing off more and more shots in front of him. “I’m taking heavy fire!”

“ _ I’m on my way, sparky, _ ” Cole responded, but Jay could tell he was doing his best to make it to Jay’s location based on the increased fighting sounds over their comms.. “ _ Just hold out another minute _ .”

“I can’t!” Jay was panicked, feeling his mech shake as it took heavy fire to the passenger side door. Cole wasn’t going to make it in time! “I’m going down-”

The mech gave out in a loud explosion that sent Jay flying. His head was slammed into a storefront sign, making him see double. Black spots filled his vision as he felt his arms grabbed, his body being dragged down the street.

“No… no - COLE!” Jay kicked and screamed, seeing the black ninja’s mech just a few blocks away. Jay continued trying his damndest to escape the robots that were pulling him further away. “No, COLE PLEASE-”

Something else hit him hard in the back of the head, and his vision blacked out completely. He felt his body go limp, but could still faintly feel himself dragged away amidst the explosions of the fight in the streets. The last thing he registered before falling completely unconscious was being lifted into the air, flying far away from Cole’s scream.


	2. A Regrouping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cole somewhat deals with losing Jay, Nya talks about a perfect match, and Kai is bad at comforting people.
> 
> But what else is new?

The explosion over the comms was a sound that would ring in Cole’s ear for eternity. The screaming, the panic, everything that came after meant nothing as Cole fought twice as hard going back into the city for Jay.

“ _ Cole, we have to keep going, _ ” Kai tried to reason, knowing that Cole was trying to go back. “ _ All of this is for nothing if we’re all caught or killed! _ ”

“I have to find Jay!” Cole shouted back, finally making it to the sight of the burning wreck. He had made it just in time to catch a glimpse of blue being dragged into a helicopter, which took off into the sky.

“JAY!” Cole felt himself screaming after his friend - his  _ best _ friend - as the helicopter got further into the sky. He saw Zane turning to track it, but it was too late.

_ Jay was gone. _

“ _ Cole, we need to get out of the city, _ ” Zane’s softer voice eased Cole back into the action. “ _ We will get Jay back, but we need to protect the technoblades - and Lloyd. _ ”

Zane was right, Cole  _ knew _ Zane was right… but he couldn’t help but blame himself. If he hadn’t been so  _ dismissive _ , if he had moved  _ faster _ , then Jay would be safe right now. They all would be out of the city, probably heading to their meeting place. 

“Yeah, I’m on my way out.” Cole turned to fight his way out of the city, something that happened in a blur. It was almost too easy for him to escape - which made him wonder something.

How had Jay gotten so caught up in everything? Everyone else was faring just fine, but Jay had been the one that struggled - something that had never happened before. Even Lloyd seemed to be getting out of the city okay, despite what the Overlord had said.

So why  _ Jay _ ?

Cole didn’t know, and neither did anyone else. They all made their way to the school in silence. No one could muster up the courage to fill the silence - not like Jay normally would.

Nya was waiting outside of the school as they pulled up. Three vehicles, four ninja - none of them in blue.

“Where’s Jay?” Nya asked, looking her brother in the eyes first. Kai shook his head a bit, turning away, so Nya’s next target was Cole. Jay’s  _ best _ friend. The one who lost him.

“He’s gone… The Overlord got him,” Cole admitted, crossing his arms nervously. He was full of some kind of restless energy, like he could storm the city and get Jay back if he just tried again.

But that was a suicide mission, and they all knew it.

Nya broke down in shaky tears, and all Cole could do was pull her into a tight hug. He held Nya close to his chest, running a hand up and down her back to comfort her in some miniscule way. 

“We need to get somewhere safer,” Lloyd took charge of the situation, almost hesitantly. “The Overlord knows we have the technoblades. He’s also coming for me. I think we need to regroup, get some backup, and come up with a good plan.”

“So we’re just gonna leave him?” Kai shot back, looking up at the blonde. 

“Not forever,” Lloyd reassured, doing his best to stay calm. “We just need to come up with a plan. We’re of no use to Jay if we get caught in the same situation as him.”

“We don’t even know where he is,” Cole spoke up, still keeping Nya close to his chest. “The Overlord could be anywhere, doing anything with Jay.”

“Borg Tower is the most likely location for the Overlord,” Zane commented, seeming too calm with this situation. “If anything, Jay will be there as well. If we could find a way to the tower, we could save Jay.”

“It’ll be impossible to get to the tower without a plan,” Lloyd tried for a smile. “We should head to my dad’s place for backup. He’ll be able to help us figure something out to save Jay.”

“Yeah… wait, what  _ has _ your dad been doing?” Kai questioned, and Cole chose that moment to zone out of the conversation. Not that he didn’t care, but it seemed like there were more important things to focus on.

Namely, the crying Nya in his arms. 

It was taking all of Cole’s willpower not to join her in breaking down. He had been the one to lose Jay. If he had responded faster, taken him seriously, done  _ anything _ better, then they would all be here. It was Cole’s fault that that wasn’t the case.

In order to comfort her better, Cole gently guided Nya away from the group, sitting them down on a log nearby. The others could take care of planning right now, they weren’t needed. Not with Nya in this condition.

“I… I can’t believe he’s… gone.” Nya looked up at Cole with watery eyes. “I should have come back, helped you guys get out.”

“No, Nya,” Cole responded calmly, reaching out to brush her tears away with his sleeve. “It was incredibly difficult for you to get out of the city the first time to get Lloyd. We didn’t want to go through that again. The fewer people trying to break out of Ninjago City, the better.”

“I don’t care. I could have helped.” Nya shook her head, pulling away from Cole. “Now Jay and Wu are in danger, we’re on the run, and apparently you’re my ‘perfect match’ instead of Jay.”

“Wait, repeat that last part?” Cole was… confused. Perfect match?

“Some stupid machine inside Borg Tower,” Nya mumbled, drying the last of her face on her shirt. “It’s supposed to find someone’s perfect match, and… it showed me you. Not that it matters, but…”

“...but you had hoped it would be Jay?”

Nya’s nod was all Cole needed to roll his eyes. “Nya, if you like Jay, then you like Jay. Some stupid love machine shouldn’t be enough to change your opinion. You know what - or rather, who - you like. Be confident in your choices.”

“But what if I was wrong?” Nya groaned, pressing her face into her hands. “I can’t believe I’m even thinking about this right now. We’re in the middle of a crisis, and all I can think about is whether or not I actually like Jay.”

“Well… sometimes our minds tend to focus on one thing that they can control in bad situations.” Cole wrapped his arms around himself loosely. “Trust me… it can feel like you don’t care when really… you care too much.”

Nya looked at Cole, noting the gloomy mood that had overcome him. He was reminiscing about… something, but before Nya could ask, Kai had walked over.

“Hey, we’re heading out soon.” The fire ninja wrapped an arm around Nya’s shoulders quickly, protectively. “Lloyd’s gonna take us to Sensei Garmadon’s monastery, so hopefully we can avoid the Overlord while we figure out how to take him down.”

“Sounds good.” Cole stood, stretching a bit as he did so. He turned to Nya, who had stayed seated despite Kai’s hug, and held out a hand. “Ready?”

Nya looked at his hand, almost unsure of herself. It was a look that didn’t sit right on Nya’s face. But, with a small eyebrow furrow, Nya had made up her mind. She took Cole’s hand, pulling herself to her feet.

“Let’s get going then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kudos! This is a story I'm especially passionate about currently, and can't wait to keep writing more. Sorry about this chapter being so short, but I have an extra long chapter next. After all... we get to see what happened to Jay soon.
> 
> Question of the Chapter: Who's your favorite ninja?


	3. Torment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay wakes up, and prepares himself for the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watch out, it's gettin dark in here. Please heed the tags!

Jay returned to awareness slowly. Too slow, in his own professional opinion. It took him forever from when the sharp head pains started to feel his hands and feet again. It took even longer for him to feel his face enough to open his eyes, and everything white blurred together above him.

He blinked slowly, letting out a slow groan as he did so. He was cold, tired, sore… and looking  _ right up into the red eyes of Pythor, who was supposed to be dead. _

Jay would never admit to the girlish scream he let out in that instant as he rolled himself out of the way of the ghost of Pythor. He got as far away as possible before slamming into a glass wall. He blinked, looking out beyond the glass to see machines scattered all around, hooked up to the glass enclosure Jay was trapped in.

“Are you done?” Pythor’s familiar hiss had Jay snapping to attention, hands up in a defensive position. Now that Jay was paying more attention, he realized he was back in his undershirt and jeans he had worn under his gi. Where was his gi! Where was  _ he _ ?

“Now now,  _ Jay _ ,” Pythor spoke smoothly, slithering forward without a care in the world. His grin was unnerving, and sent chills down Jay’s spine. “You look like you’ve seen a  _ ghost _ .”

So… turns out, Pythor had lived. The snake towered over him, making Jay feel impossibly small. The snake’s terrifying grin turned into a sneer, his aura turning much darker in an instant.

“And considering you and your little ninja left me in the stomach of the great devourer to  _ die _ … I suppose I can understand your shock.”

Before Jay could react, his left arm was grabbed and thrown aside, Pythor’s free hand striking him across the face. Jay moved up to defend himself, but his face was grabbed tightly in Pythor’s free hand. He was lifted, choking ever so slightly as his head pains were increased tenfold by Pythor’s actions.

“But, as even  _ your _ moronic self can see… I am  _ no ghost _ .” Pythor chuckled darkly, right in Jay’s face.

“Okay, not a ghost…” Jay spat out in the limited space he was given by Pythor. He could feel blood dripping down his cheek, cuts left behind from Pythor’s scales. That one hurt a bit, and was potentially earned.

Pythor studied his face for a few more seconds before just dropping Jay. It took a moment too long for Jay to push himself back to his feet, and the room was spinning ever so slightly. The snake cooed, watching Jay struggle with a smirk. “You know… I expected it to be much more difficult to obtain you. Usually your friends are so…  _ protective _ of each other.”

Jay shifted his stance, knowing  _ how  _ he was grabbed. His friend’s attention was already so divided between the technoblades and Lloyd that none of them could have taken a moment to watch over each other.

But that just brought up a new question:  _ why _ was he grabbed? Why him, out of anyone? He had probably triple the trouble on him over someone like Lloyd, who hadn’t seemed to struggle at all. So what did Pythor want with him?

“But this time I might as well have just stolen candy from a  _ baby _ with how much of a fight they put up to save you. Really… it’s almost as if they  _ couldn’t care less. _ ”

A quick lunge from the snake and Jay’s face was grabbed once more, with the ninja being too disoriented - and distracted by his thoughts - to stop him. He was forced to look into the bright red eyes of Pythor - that certainly did not help his loss of concentration. “You  _ poor _ thing… do cheer up, though. Even if you were useless enough for them to discard you, you’ll be helping  _ me _ quite a bit.”

Pythor grinned wide, all of his sharp teeth on full display. “Whether you want to… or not.”

Jay squirmed a bit, trying to pull away weakly. “My friends will come for me soon enough. And… and when they realize you’re alive, you  _ won’t stand a chance _ .”

No matter what Pythor seemed to think, Jay would  _ never _ betray his friends and help him. Pythor could say what he wanted, Jay was stronger than he seemed. He was  _ not _ going to take this lying down.

The laugh that slammed back into Jay was loud, jarring, it rattled his skull. “Oh, that… that’s a  _ joke _ . You don’t  _ get it _ , do you?” Jay was pushed down, his legs giving out and bending so he was looking straight up into Pythor’s eyes. The snake’s eyes were so close, his tongue flicking out barely an inch from his nose. “They aren’t coming for you. And even if they were, they have  _ no _ clue where you are.”

Jay was dropped again to the ground, and rolled to prop himself up. The ground swayed beneath him, making his stomach drop uncomfortably. 

“And considering none of you ever managed to do me any true damage,” Pythor hissed, messing with something behind Jay. “I sincerely doubt your  _ friends _ could do more than what the  _ great devourer _ already did to me if they tried. But, even if they could… it’s not  _ me _ they should really worry about.”

Jay turned to look up at the snake as his arms were yanked out from under him. He fought against Pythor weakly, unable to do much other than slow the snake’s path towards whatever he had planned.

One glimpse of the cuffs was enough to have Jay picking up the fight. They were thick, made of some dark stone and lined with barbs on the inside, hooks that looked like they could  _ dig into flesh _ . Jay wanted  _ no _ part of that.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get away in time. No matter how hard Jay fought, Pythor showed no signs that it was actually affecting him. He just pressed Jay’s wrists inside the cuffs, and  _ snapped them closed _ .

_ White. Hot.  _ **_Pain._ ** Like something had dug its claws in deep, Jay could feel the hooks grabbing at his arms and  _ tearing.  _ Jay cried out, unable to stop himself from trying to tug his hands free as Pythor dropped him and left the glass cell. Blood began slipping down his arms from where the handcuffs ended, warm and sickening.

Jay dropped his hands into his lap, unable to do much more about the burning pain that wouldn’t stop. His head lifted, looking for Pythor, before landing on a screen that sat outside the cell.

_ Power Supply: 0% _

Power Supply? 

“Now,  _ Master of Lightning, _ ” Pythor taunted from where he had moved to. He was now behind some kind of stand - like a control panel. “I’m going to give you an option. Either you do  _ exactly _ the one thing you’re worth a damn at…”

Pythor pulled a switch, which slightly pulled at the wires and chain attached to the handcuffs Jay had been forced into. The small tug sent another jolt of pain up Jay’s arms, making him wince.

“...Or I make your stay here a bit more… uncomfortable.”

Jay took just a moment to assess his options. He honestly couldn’t think of what Pythor was trying to get him to do - power supply? Torture cuffs? What in  _ Ninjago _ could Pythor be going for?

“Fuck you,” Jay spat out at the snake, standing as fast as he could. The ground tipped dangerously below him, making the ninja stumble slightly. But he was undeterred. “What do you need this glass for? What, scared that I could beat you in a proper fight?”

Jay grinned dangerously at the snake. “Hiding behind your Overlord because we killed your Devourer? No Skales to back you up this time I see, so I guess you’re just all  _ talk _ .”

_ That _ made Pythor mad, Jay could tell. The snake’s eyes flashed bright red, and the hiss that slipped out of his slippery mouth was…  _ bad _ . “Now I suggest you keep his name  _ out _ of your mouth, little ninja. After all… you are  _ hardly _ one to speak of ‘old flames’. Where’s  _ Nya _ ? Oh, that’s right… I suppose she would be with her darling  _ Cole _ right about now… wouldn’t she?”

Cole? What about Cole?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jay snapped back, glaring at the snake. Pythor’s mouth twisted back into its familiar sinister grin, and the power screen changed to an overhead view of…

_ His friends _ . They were all gathered outside their school, talking and looking… really beat-down upon. Jay watched the screen adjust, fixate on Cole and Nya -  _ why were they pressed so close together?  _ \- right before the sound started.

_ “-You’re my ‘Perfect Match’ instead of Jay,”  _ Nya’s shoulders jumped with a small huff of frustration. Jay’s face dropped as the screen cut out, turning back to the Power Supply Status.

“That… that has to be fake.” Jay shook his head looking away from Pythor. Cole? Nya’s ‘Perfect Match’? That didn’t make  _ any _ sense!

“Oh… but it’s not.” Pythor chuckled darkly, pressing a few buttons on his control panel. “That blasted falcon keeps losing signal, but… what you saw is true. Nya and Cole, a perfect match, leaving you… as nothing.”

“Liar!” Jay fought against the cuffs that just dug deeper into his arms, tearing and biting and  _ hurting more and more _ .

“Oh, do stop fighting. You’re only making this worse for the both of us.” Pythor feigned a yawn, pressing one last button that began recalling the chain Jay had been given. It pulled his wrists up, higher and higher, until Jay was forced to stand on his toes to relieve the painful pressure of the cuffs. “Oh, now look what you’ve done to yourself… be a good boy, and it won’t go any higher.”

Jay looked up at his arms as the blood slipped down in small rivers, trailing down to his elbows. It  _ hurt _ , oh god it hurt, but… that wasn’t the worst part.

Jay could hardly  _ breathe _ . By his calculations, and going off of the video he had just seen, he had been wearing a binder for  _ at least _ 12 hours, if not much longer. It really depended on how long he had been unconscious. 

Speaking of which, being unconscious with a binder on was not a good plan. 

So his breathing was already weaker from the extended wear, but now his arms were forced over his head, taking a lot of support from his lungs. He could feel the awkward strain as he tried to focus on taking as deep of breaths as possible, trying to calm himself down.

But… but the idea that Cole was  _ better for Nya _ than Jay, the panic over what had been happening in the cell, the  _ pain _ \- everything was building up. He could feel it in his veins, like a faint hum of electricity.

“I do suppose, if you don’t like the wrists, I could arrange for a necklace inssssstead?” Pythor mused, just  _ watching _ Jay from outside the cell. “Now… do be a  _ good boy _ , and do what I asked, hmm? After all, it’s for the best if you do. The  _ last thing _ we want is for the power to keep cutting out when we have to do this with your  _ little green friend _ .”

Another hissing laugh from the snake. “And believe me… the Overlord will not be as merciful with  _ him _ as I will be with you. Consider it a byproduct of… old ties. It will only get you so far. Now…”

Jay was dragged up another centimeter, now stuck with almost hanging from his wrists.  _ FSM  _ that hurt!

“...Do what I told you to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is where the rp stuff actually begins, so it's like double the length of the last few chapters. I'm just writing this stuff for fun and am not putting a ton of thought into the fillers, so sorry if you expected more. Also, lemme know if you like the fillers at all, or just want the angsty whump for now.
> 
> Question of the Chapter: What was your least favorite season of Ninjago? I personally despise Rebooted.


	4. Introspection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ninja make it to Sensei Garmadon's monastery, and discuss how they plan to save Jay and Wu.

These were the times where Lloyd felt like his actual age. Not the age he had been magically made, but like an actual 17 year old. Still a child, still  _ the youngest on his team _ , but forced to be mature. Forced to take the lead, to show his older brothers where they should go.

Lloyd  _ hated _ these times. He didn’t  _ want _ to be a leader, not when he never had another choice. He was the  _ destined green ninja _ , the one that defeated The Overlord once already - the one now being hunted by the very monster he thought was gone.

The very monster that had  _ taken his friend and his uncle _ . 

Lloyd didn’t have the  _ time _ to worry about Jay or Wu - he had to take care of his team first and foremost. His team, which consisted of two very different sides of this problem.

Cole and Nya were, predictably,  _ freaking out _ . Cole blamed himself for not being able to save Jay, and Nya was blaming herself for not… telling him something? Lloyd didn’t quite know, and at this moment that didn’t  _ matter _ .

Kai and Zane were the more level-headed half of the group. Kai seemed to be the most willing to keep pushing forward, and Zane was processing the events in a semi-logical manner. Lloyd was grateful for them keeping their heads together.

The ride in their mechs towards his father’s monastery was… silent. It was the quietest the ninja had ever been when going somewhere as a group. It was like they were all holding their breaths, waiting for  _ something _ to happen.

Lloyd knew that they were all waiting for Jay to break the silence. To crack a joke like he always did, make them laugh or groan or… or  _ anything _ other than grieve. 

Sooner rather than later, the quintet of ninja had arrived at the new monastery that Lloyd’s father had converted into a school. While his father had taken a vow of peace, Lloyd had been to a few of the lessons taught here - fighting without throwing a single punch. It was honestly incredible, seeing his father turn in an instant from the most evil person in existence to… almost painfully boring and normal.

The ninja all climbed out of their vehicles - Nya having chosen to ride with her brother on the journey here - and made their way into the gorgeous building. There were various students lingering in the foyer of the building, but only a couple spared a glance from their readings to see the ninja enter. Even then, no one paid them any mind - everyone in Ninjago knew about the ninja by now.

Taking the lead, Lloyd led his brothers and sister down the paths towards his father. He wasn’t meant to be in a class right now, so Lloyd knew he would be in his private study.

When they reached the ornate door, Lloyd turned to the others quietly. They all shared a reassuring nod, their faces grim. He could still see the tear stains on Nya’s cheeks, the way Cole’s eyes were dark with guilt and grief. Kai and Zane were both more neutral, but the tense way Kai held his shoulders and Zane’s calculating expression said all that was needed for the two.

With a steady hand, Lloyd pushed the door open. 

Sensei Garmadon was sitting on a mat on the floor, eyes closed and legs folded carefully under him. Silently, the ninja gathered in a circle around the teacher, copying his position and closing their eyes.

“Terrible things have happened,” Sensei Garmadon’s voice was as smooth as it was when he was under the influence of the devourer’s venom, but it held this wisdom that had been missing for so long. Lloyd was unsure if he’d ever get used to hearing his father’s voice like this. “I foresee great danger for all of us.”

“Jay and Wu are… missing.” Lloyd kept his eyes closed, his posture steady. Grounded. He needed the clarity this meditation was bringing. “The Overlord has returned, but he made himself digital. He’s after the technoblades, and after my power.”

“Then we must split up,” Lloyd heard his father move, and allowed his eyes to open. “We cannot risk both the technoblades and you landing in his hold at the same time. He would prove unstoppable were that to occur.”

“We already lost Jay because we split up.” Nya’s voice was hoarse, rough with emotion spilled for hours without end. “What makes you think splitting up now would change anything?”

“Because if we can split the Overlord’s forces between chasing Lloyd and chasing the technoblades, I can take Lloyd somewhere far away and safe from the Overlord’s clutches.” Garmadon stood, the white teacher’s robes billowing around him gently, “Then the rest of you can cut off their power source entirely.”

Zane stood, beginning to pace as he processed the plan into something more tangible. “That would make sense. If we could cut the power to Ninjago City, we could get to Borg tower and save Jay and Sensei. We could reboot the Overlord without having to worry about his forces attacking up.”

“We have to do it.” Lloyd turned his attention to Cole, who had stepped forward with a stony face. “If it means saving Jay, and kicking the Overlord’s ass, I’m in.”

Lloyd had never seen Cole so determined over something like he was now. There was a fire burning in his eyes that would only be put out by redeeming himself for a self-imposed crime.

“So we’re splitting,” Lloyd affirmed. “Nya, Kai, Cole, and Zane, you guys have to go to the power center of Ninjago. Cut the power while dad and I get as far away from here as possible. We can communicate through Zane’s falcon.”

Once they all had nodded in grim agreement, they made way to prepare. Lloyd and his father packed clothes and food - enough to get to where they were going. The ninja were working out their battle strategy for taking down the main power source of Ninjago.

Lloyd peeked into the room where the others had converged to see Cole and Zane debating over a map, gesturing to various passages within the tower that led to the main source. Kai was watching quietly, only occasionally chiming in with his own opinion.

The only person missing from the room was Nya. So, despite something saying he should help his friends strategize for their mission, Lloyd abandoned them to their work to seek out the samurai. 

He found her in one of the meditation rooms, sitting in the same position his father had been in just hours before. As he did with his father, Lloyd was silent in taking a seat directly across from the girl, letting her thoughts settle into the energy around them. He could practically feel her heartbeat thrum through the earth, emanating from a place of pain.

“I was going to break up with him,” When she spoke, her voice was uncharacteristically quiet. Almost  _ insecure _ . Losing Jay had done something to the girl that Lloyd was not enjoying one bit.

“What do you mean?” He kept his tone steady, calm. He let Nya come to him, not wanting to force anything out of her that she herself did not intend to say.

“There was a machine in Borg Industries. It told me Cole was my perfect match… it told me that Jay was only holding me back.” Lloyd’s eyes were closed, but he could practically feel the way tears threatened to spill once again. “I considered breaking up with him, just to… to organize my thoughts. The machine made me realize… things… and now I’m worried that I’ll never get to talk with Jay about it.”

“Hey now,” Lloyd soothed with a soft voice. “You’ll get to talk to him again. Jay is alive, he’s… he’s gonna be okay.”

Lloyd didn’t mention that he could almost  _ feel _ something wrong. The space in his heart where Jay had placed himself was torn, fizzling and sparking with electricity. It felt like it was slipping away… dangerously fast. 

“We’re gonna get him back.” Lloyd opened his eyes, looking Nya in the eyes - she had opened her own at some point, the dark brown orbs staring at him intensely. “We’re going to get him and Wu back, and we’re going to destroy the Overlord - once and for all. I promise.”

Nya smiled a bit despite her obvious anguish, nodding towards him. “Thanks Lloyd. You’re right… we’ll get him back.”

Together they stood, ready to take on the world together. As a team. 

“Now… let’s go figure out how you’re gonna take out the power grid of Ninjago.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is about to be a bit more personal than any authors note before, and it is mostly directed at Golden_freckles, aka the author behind Strings of a Puppet.
> 
> Please stop plagiarizing my writing. You're not slick, I noticed the way you directly copied and pasted my concept, most of the quotes people said, with only minor adjustments to make it seem like the work was your own.
> 
> If you had just asked to write this concept yourself, I would have been all for it. It's a fun AU, and I would love to see other people's perspectives of it.
> 
> But when you blatantly steal my own writing, making it your work, and don't give me any kind of credit for the writing of this idea... I have a problem with it.
> 
> This AU was developed by myself and a friend, and it is very personal for me. It was a vent thing that I wanted to flesh out more, and by stealing my work you are showing you do not care for who this affects and how. So please, if you want to apologize then do.
> 
> I won't ask you to take down the fic even though I genuinely want that. I just want you to add something in to give me credit for the idea, for the words you stole from my mouth.
> 
> You're not slick.
> 
> And if anyone wants to try and come at me saying this isn't direct plagiarism... I have receipts. Please do not try to say I'm wrong to claim this is stealing. It is.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Anyways! I'm sorry this chapter took so long to come out, school started and got very hectic real quick with quarantine and everything. If you enjoyed, please do leave a comment saying what you liked about the fic!
> 
> Question of the Chapter: Do you prefer the 1-7 Ninja designs, the 9-10 designs, or the 11-13 designs best?


	5. Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Left to hang, Jay reflects on what his sensei has to say about grounding.

_ Another hissing laugh from the snake. “And believe me… the Overlord will not be as merciful with him as I will be with you. Consider it a byproduct of… old ties. It will only get you so far. Now…” _

_ Jay was dragged up another centimeter, now stuck with almost hanging from his wrists. FSM that hurt! _

_ “...Do what I told you to.” _

Jay bit his lip hard enough to draw blood - just adding to the continual stream from his arms and the dried cut on his cheek. He could feel the way his ribs were struggling to expand with each breath, the restrictive binder he had no time to take off between work and the fight to escape the city just reminding him that everything was  _ bad _ .

“It would help if you - y’know - actually told me what to do,” Jay commented loosely, squirming in place just a bit. He moved his gaze from his wrists to the snake at the control panel. He was barely on the floor, his toes just being enough to balance some of his weight off the burning pains the hooks that dug into his wrists brought.

“You’re the smart one I thought - wait, no, wrong ninja. I’m stuck with the comedic relief,” Pythor sneered, not seeming to notice how much that little bit actually hurt Jay. “Even a child should be able to put these pieces together. Don’t worry… I’ll wait.”

Jay closed his eyes, taking another deep breath. His head  _ hurt _ , along with everything else, and thinking was extremely difficult. But even then, things stuck out to Jay. Power Source, the lightning references…

“You’re trying to take my power.” Jay opened his eyes, looking directly into Pythor’s own. “You… you think I can control it so you can  _ use _ it.”

“Oh, I don’t need you to  _ control _ it,” Pythor chuckled, moving around the panel to stand closer to the glass of the cell. “I do need you to use it, however. Your power can be…  _ harvested _ , even in its rawest form; powering our robots even after your pesky friends plan to try and cut the city’s power.”

Jay felt his face go pale. His friends were going to cut the power, but if Pythor got his way, it would just switch to being powered by  _ Jay _ . Nothing would get better, and they’d end up losing whatever advantage they hoped to gain.

“I… I won’t do it. I’ll  _ never _ help you.” Jay shook his head, looking away from Pythor by staring down at his feet. It was an uncomfortable strain in his neck, but worth it to avoid the piercing glare of blood-red eyes. Besides, he couldn’t do what was being asked of him even if he wanted to - his power came from the conduit of the golden weapons before. It wasn’t like he was Lloyd, who could  _ actually _ use his power. Without the nunchucks of lightning, Jay was  _ powerless _ . Right now, he was grateful for this fact.

“Never, hmm?” Pythor seemed amused, having not moved from just behind the control panel. “Well,  _ never _ is such a strong word but, alas… if you want to use it, be prepared for its consequences.”

One push of a button, and Jay was dragged higher into the air. His feet could rest on nothing, and he was  _ hanging from the hooks in the handcuffs _ . Jay choked back a cry of pain, struggling to keep his breathing down and steady now that it was  _ even more strained _ . Blood flowed down his arms in steady streams as the hooks dragged through skin and muscle, lodging in his arm painfully.

“When you’re ready to realize how  _ never _ is really not an option,  _ do _ just scream,” Pythor said simply, moving from behind the panel and making a show of leaving before he paused. “Oh… and I suppose you may want to be careful of how long never is in your case… that binder of yours won’t be doing you any favor here, especially not with how much you seem to be  _ fighting _ me.”

Pythor chuckled, as if thinking of a cruel joke. “It would be a pity if those ribs just…  _ gave out _ , hmm?”

With not a glance back, Pythor had left the room, leaving Jay to hang in agony. As soon as the door closed behind the Serpentine, Jay’s let the tears fall. His wrists were on  _ fire _ , searing the pain down to his shoulders, his back, his legs and his feet. It was everywhere, lighting his nerves ablaze.

How long was he going to have to hang here? How long  _ could _ he hang until giving in? What did Pythor even think he could  _ do _ ? Like, Jay knew that Lloyd could do his power without a weapon, but Jay’s power  _ came _ from the weapons. 

Yet, as Jay hung, it was as if he could  _ feel _ something. Something… old, powerful. It was a quiet hum in his veins that became more obvious the more attention he paid to it. It was like-

No. No, he… he couldn’t think about it. Not  _ now _ , not when Pythor was  _ expecting _ him to do something stupid, like trace the small almost-shock up his arms. It felt so familiar to the ability Jay had harnessed using the golden nunchucks years ago. 

Change focus. If you think too long… he didn’t want to know what would happen if he continued following that line of thought.

He focused on keeping his breathing steady - his ribs protested expanding, lessening the air flow he could get to his lungs, but he powered on nonetheless. This wasn’t the worst situation he had been caught in. When the Overlord tried to take over last time, Jay had been caught in a binder for three days straight of fighting and running. He was pretty sure he’d be okay.

But the strain on his ribs from hanging from his arms was making it extremely difficult. He felt light-headed, but that was a byproduct of the concussion he was definitely dealing with.

He needed to  _ focus _ . Ignore the pain, the fear,  _ everything _ . He needed to push past that to help his friends. He closed his eyes, letting himself settle into as calm of a meditative state as possible.

_ He couldn’t sit still. The smoke seemed to be everywhere, filling his lungs, burning his eyes, it was everywhere. _

_ “Focus,” The calm, worn voice of his teacher broke through his restlessness, seeming to settle itself over him like a blanket. “You must learn to settle your body. Redirect the energy into the air; feel its tension, the electricity that resides in everything. You are one with the constant crackle, the sparks in everything surrounding us. Use it as your grounding point.” _

_ “I always thought the earth was the grounding point,” Jay chirped back, shifting once more on his folded legs. “At least, that’s what all those old movies show. Y’know, strong stance, balance, that stuff?” _

_ “Hmm,” His teacher was smiling, Jay could just feel it. “So they say. But you have never been one for the ground my boy.” _

_ My boy. It was something that his sensei said without a second thought, and it never failed to bring up Jay’s mood. The sweet validation was enough for him for weeks. _

_ “In fact… the first time I saw you, you attempted to fly away.” The words reminded Jay of his homemade wings, the way he had always dreamt of the freedom the sky held for him. “The air is as secure as the ground. It seems open, dangerous, terrifying to some… but once you conquer it, once you have a taste of the freedom offered to you… anything is possible.” _

_ Jay found it easier after that to meditate. All he had to do was feel a breeze, take a deep breath, and let the air guide him. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> Thank you all so much for the kind words on the last author's note. If you noticed, the author apologized and took their work down. Not necessarily my intention, but the apology was appreciated.
> 
> Question of the chapter thing: What are your theories for why Jay's bio parents left him with the Walkers? I personally have a very lengthy theory for this that I don't wanna try and squeeze into this author's note, but I will elaborate if asked.

**Author's Note:**

> This stems from an RP my friend and I did wherein I asked 'Can Jay be used as a battery?' and... this happened. I'm modifying some of it for a better story format, but almost all of it is the rp we put literal days of effort into.


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